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Rangers pitchers had no issues with baseballs

Rangers pitchers had no issues with baseballs

Daily Recap: Alex Rios hit a go-ahead single in the seventh to pull the Rangers within a game of the Indians and Rays in the Wild Card race

By T.R. Sullivan and Master Tesfatsion
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MLB.com |

ARLINGTON -- The Rangers dismissed any issues with the baseballs during Friday's game against the Angels, contrary to C.J. Wilson's postgame comments. Wilson said the baseballs were slippery and only one out of every four was rubbed up.

"We changed more balls than we would normally change," Wilson said after Friday's game. "Baseball is a game of adjustments. They aren't going to hit time out. I'm not going to stall, but sometimes the ball is not in condition to play baseball with. So I use some rosin and sweat and grind some grip onto it.

"The best pitchers are able to make adjustments very quick, and that's why some of those guys win Cy Youngs and some don't."

Crew chief Ted Barrett, however, said all the baseballs were rubbed up before Friday's game.

"They were all rubbed with mud," Barrett told MLB.com. "Mike DiMuro was working home plate [and is at third base Saturday morning]. Each ball he got had mud on it. I guess they weren't rubbed to C.J.'s liking, but they were all rubbed.

"No balls came out of the wrapper. Every ball had mud on it."

Wilson claimed the issue wasn't a coincidence, but Rangers manager Ron Washington rejected any sort of conspiracy with the baseballs.

"He mentioned to us [during the game] that C.J. thought the balls weren't rubbed up properly," Washington said. "We tried to accommodate it, but I've been in the game since 1970 and I haven't seen a game ball until it was in the game."

Alexi Ogando, Jason Frasor, Tanner Scheppers and Joe Nathan all said they didn't have issues with the baseballs when they were on the mound in Friday's win. Ogando said the baseballs were the same as always.

"They were good," Ogando said. "I don't know what was going on with C.J.'s balls."

"It's surprising, because people know what to do when [Wilson's] pitching at their park," Nathan said. "Some balls are different. I don't know why they thought there was an issue with it. Both teams used the same baseballs. It is what it is, and he spoke his opinion. Not something I would've done, but at the same time, everyone is entitled to their own way of going about things and how to handle stuff."